The study quieted down, and the atmosphere between the two settled as well.
Yuan Yunzhong secretly bitterly smiled.
He had misspoke again.
He admitted that he had been intentionally and unintentionally avoiding Song Jiyun lately, and his purpose in doing so was out of fear of bringing her harm.
But he didn’t show it on his face and simply said lightly, "I promised you I would handle the affairs of Prince Ning’s Mansion well and not let your family be implicated."
She should believe in his abilities.
Song Jiyun did not utter a word but instead stood up and walked to the window sill.
The courtyard was shaded by green trees which unavoidably swayed in the night wind, casting sprawling shadows.
She turned around with a smile, leaning against the window frame, her delicate hand casually resting on the window sill, glowing white in the moonlight, which made Yuan Yunzhong think of their night at Hong Family Mountain.
Song Jiyun’s hand had also been like this under the moonlight, clenched into a fist, even the blue of her knuckles as vivid as yesterday.
He had a moment of realization.
He heard Song Jiyun’s faint sigh and soft mutter, "Had I known it would be like this, I shouldn’t have been so presumptuous. I even considered whether to make a ten-year pact with you to follow you to the Capital City. After all, in the end, doing business leads to proving oneself in the Capital City..."
"What?!" Yuan Yunzhong couldn’t hide his excited emotion and exclaimed uncontrollably, unable to hear what she said next, "You, you said, you want to go to the Capital City?"
He widened his eyes.
And saw Song Jiyun winking playfully at him.
Yuan Yunzhong’s mind buzzed.
Song Jiyun pressed her lips together, smiled, and seriously nodded, saying, "I’ve carefully considered this matter, listed the pros and cons of going to the Capital City on a sheet, one side with the disadvantages, and one side with the advantages, assigning points to each, to see which side scores more..."
Yuan Yunzhong had snapped back to his senses.
He couldn’t help but step forward, grabbing Song Jiyun’s hand with passion, "Is it as I think? You accepted my proposal? You are coming with me to the Capital City!"
As for Prince Ning.
To hell with him.
Not seizing the opportunity would be foolish.
He was not that stupid.
Joy swept through his entire body.
The joy that bloomed between his brows was like brilliant sunshine, making it bright and clear inside.
Song Jiyun had never seen such a youthful, sunny Yuan Yunzhong before.
This was fitting for his age.
Previously, he had been a bit too mature for his years.
Her heart softened, and she nodded.
"Yun Duo!" Yuan Yunzhong burst out laughing, his handsome face especially striking.
He looked so overjoyed that he hardly knew what to do with himself and began spinning around while holding Song Jiyun.
The Cheng Dust on the roof turned into a kaleidoscope in her eyes.
She was dizzy, seeing Yuan Yunzhong act so childishly for the first time.
But this allowed her to feel his joy even more intensely.
Song Jiyun, infected by his emotions, couldn’t help but let out a string of cheerful laughter.
"Put me down, put me down," she said, "I’m dizzy!"
Hearing this, Yuan Yunzhong immediately slowed down.
But he still couldn’t help himself, and hugged her, spinning a couple more times before completely stopping, still unwilling to let her go.
The two gazed into each other’s eyes, their slightly rough breaths mingling together, creating a charged, ambiguous atmosphere.
Song Jiyun could even feel the burning heat on her face from his intense gaze.
She coughed uncomfortably.
Yuan Yunzhong hugged her tightly again, but this time he did not spin around with her in his arms, instead he quietly stood in place and whispered into her ear, "I, I’m very happy!"
Song Jiyun leaned against his chest, the fierce pounding of his heartbeat like drumbeats resonating in her ears.
She felt as if her own heartbeat had merged with his into a single frequency.
"I’m very happy too." He could express himself so generously, she should be more proactive as well, "I’m glad I didn’t miss you."
Yuan Yunzhong didn’t speak, but the heartbeat reaching her ears sped up like rapid drums, and he even tightened his arms, embracing her even more firmly.
Song Jiyun felt as if her waist would break. But she could feel his emotions even more deeply.
She let him hold her in silence for a while before slowly letting go.
Yuan Yunzhong’s ears were red as he smiled gently at her.
The air was filled with a sweet scent.
Yuan Yunzhong personally went to fetch her another cup of tea, and brought some snacks to her side, saying, "They know I like drinking Rock Tea, so they specially asked the chef to make some savory tea snacks. This is Jinshui Jiao, this is Ham Pastry, and this is Scallion Oil Roll. Taste them and see if you like them?"
Song Jiyun tasted the Ham Pastry he recommended.
Yuan Yunzhong watched her intently, as if she were some precious treasure that might disappear if he blinked.
Song Jiyun, feeling suddenly conspicuous, quickly took a sip of tea and randomly praised, "This Ham Pastry is well made. The pastry is crisp, and besides bamboo shoots, they must have added winter melon, making it particularly delicious."
"The tea is good as well," Yuan Yunzhong said with a smile, "sent over from Tongmu Pass of Wuyi Mountains."
As he spoke, he shifted his gaze away slightly, then refocused on her.
Song Jiyun didn’t know what else to say.
She just coughed lightly and asked, "When are you returning to the Capital City?"
Yuan Yunzhong answered, "I’ll return to the Capital City at the end of the month."
As he spoke, his expression became slightly reserved.
It was now early spring in March, and the Qingming Festival was just a few days away.
Since Song Youliang had passed away less than a year ago, the first Qingming Festival grand memorial service was something Song Jiyun definitely had to stay home to oversee.
Plus, he remembered Song Jiyun had mentioned something about a "ten-year pact" before.
He couldn’t help but hold his breath and asked, "What did you mean by the ten-year pact you mentioned before?"
Song Jiyun spoke softly, "As you know, I am the eldest daughter at home, and my three younger sisters are either not suitable to run the household or are too young. I want you to give me ten years, ten years to stay in Jingde Town to properly manage the Song Family Kiln Factory. After ten years, no matter the state of the Song Family, I will go with you."
If she couldn’t find a way to manage the Song Family Kiln Factory through a system in ten years and its fortunes continued to depend on the abilities of its heirs, it would eventually be eliminated by bigger waves sooner or later. Just spending more time on the management of the Song Family Kiln Factory would then only amount to temporary prosperity.
What difference would there be between ten years and a hundred years then?
"No matter where you go, I will follow you," she looked sincerely at Yuan Yunzhong and said.
"Really!" Yuan Yunzhong could hardly believe his ears, his eyes bright and sparkling, "You, you really are willing to follow me?"
Song Jiyun smiled and nodded. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎
"That’s wonderful!" his joy was evident, "As long as you are willing to follow me, not just ten years, even twenty years, thirty years, I am willing to wait."
As he spoke, unable to contain his emotions, he once again pulled Song Jiyun into his embrace: "Yun Duo, thank you. Thank you for choosing me! I, I will definitely treat you well."
His rigid chest harshly bumped into Song Jiyun’s shoulders, causing her pain.
She cried and laughed at the same time.
Yuan Yunzhong surely didn’t think she was a "Sister-Assisting Demon," did he?
She tapped Yuan Yunzhong’s chest, which was somewhat hard but still resilient.
She teased, "Twenty years, thirty years! You don’t think that decades pass in the blink of an eye and that we have several more decades to go, do you?"
"No, that’s not it," Yuan Yunzhong’s face turned slightly red, and he said, "I, I just feel that if our love is long-lasting, what matters it be morning or evening."
Song Jiyun found it amusing and playfully tapped his chest again, saying, "What if I only want mornings and evenings, not eternity?"
Yuan Yunzhong was taken aback.
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